Day of the Dead Festival 2012
“Tessa is a an amazing curator and event organiser. She has boundless energy, an exceptional and innovative creative mind and a wonderful work ethic that remains calm in even the most stressful of situations (of which there aren’t many when she is in charge!). I would recommend working with Tessa to anyone that wants to create something that is out of the ordinary yet beautifully and sensitively put together.”
- Mark Selby, Co-founder and CEO Wahaca Restaurants regarding Day of the Dead Festival 2012
Wilderness Festival
“I have worked closely alongside Tessa for over 11 years now in the live event sector, most notably as a vital part of the Wilderness Festival team. Tessa came on board from Year One of Wilderness and was instrumental in providing a full and diverse programming service and options, covering all aspects of the Arts, to propel Wilderness to become an award winning event. Day-to-day, Tessa is a focused, determined and diligent team member, always seeking out the best and most unique individuals, bands, collectives and institutions, and seamlessly integrating this programming into the wider festival overview. Her management and communications skills are exceptionally strong, and Tessa would make a positive addition to any creative event team.”
- Ed Dolman, Co-founder and Director Wilderness Festival
At Home Farm Review - Clash Magazine
“It’s a special kind of Tuesday when you’re wandering out into the fields after work, on your way to see Nick Mulvey perform live… Merchandised as “on London’s doorstep”, Home Farm’s boutique festival atmosphere has already been turning heads in the city and beyond.
But under the serenity of the bucolic surface, belied a clear consideration for each detail of the Home Farm experience. Take the yurts, nestled around the farm’s site, concealed by tall grass with respect to privacy. These yurts were available to book for those looking to make a night of it at the Farm. Or the food and drinks, delivered ‘hay bale’ service to waiting customers. This was a far cry from the pre-gig slop of beer in plastic cups of times gone by – Home Farm served sophistication and class.
As darkness began to fall, ticket holders wound their way into the woods down a lanterned path, before reaching the main stage in a small clearing… As Nick Mulvey stepped onto the stage of the woodland grotto, the fans, Home Farm, and even the surrounding trees were top of the thank you list for the guitar peddling troubadour. The gratitude shown by Mulvey was reciprocated by the audience, a theme of togetherness set to continue throughout the evening…
Mulvey’s songs hold meaning for his audience, and an event like last night’s showcases those songs in their most twinkling fairylights. Hats off to Communion and Home Farm; if you build it, they will come.”
- Nick Mulvey at Home Farm, Clash Magazine Live Report (redacted from original).
At Home Farm Audience Reviews
‘I think everyone in the audience knew they had witnessed something special, something they would never see again. An extraordinary evening in an extraordinary setting.’
‘A Truly Different Style of Live Music delivery’
‘A Once in a Lifetime Experience’
- Samples from audience reviews
Clemence Rebourg
“Having worked with Tessa Clarfelt at Wilderness Festival and At Home Farm Festival for two years, I experienced a process of artistic and creative direction that is both inclusive and understanding of audiences but also pushes boundaries and expands horizons.
I witnessed first as an audience member, and then as a colleague how she toes the line expertly between familiarity and discovery in her programmes, bringing in both familiar themes and new ideas. She knows how to involve her extensive network and approaches new talents with success.
Not only did I learn a tremendous amount on how to shape a programme, and in all the areas needed to produce it, I also gained a friend and mentor to whom I will always go for inspiration, ideas, and guidance. I can safely say my career would not be the same if I had not met her.”
- Clemence Rebourg - Senior Cultural Event Programmer at Koko
The AllBright
“Tessa led our Cultural Programming at the AllBright from the launch of our first club in 2018, quickly establishing a very successful programme of events. As our membership expanded and we opened new spaces, Tessa developed and diversified the programme, artfully tailoring it to our growing audience and making the most of the new spaces with creative event formats.
Amongst the highlights, Tessa has identified and accessed brilliant, high profile speakers, designed one-off special programmes for our cornerstone events such as International Women's Day, and created a sell-out series of live music, opera and cabaret supper clubs. Tessa's events are brand enhancing and highly engaging, and we are delighted with her services. I would wholeheartedly recommend her to any organization looking for bespoke culture and entertainment programming for their audience”
- Anna Jones - Co-Founder, The AllBright (currently CEO The Telegraph Group)
Sipsmith
“I’ve been lucky enough to have worked with Tessa programming our Sipsmith Gin Palace for a number of year’s at Port Eliot and Wilderness Festival. Tessa instantly understood the atmosphere we wanted to create and found us the perfect acts within our budget and timeframe. Our activation was all the better for working with Tessa and we would not consider working with anyone else for this type of work”
- May Kirby, Senior Global Activation Manager - Sipsmith